Engineer II - Software Defined Storage

At GEICO, we offer a rewarding career where your ambitions are met with endless possibilities. 

Every day we honor our iconic brand by offering quality coverage to millions of customers and being there when they need us most. We thrive through relentless innovation to exceed our customers’ expectations while making a real impact for our company through our shared purpose. 

When you join our company, we want you to feel valued, supported and proud to work here. That’s why we offer The GEICO Pledge: Great Company, Great Culture, Great Rewards and Great Careers.

Position Summary

GEICO is seeking an Enterprise Storage Engineer that will be part of a team responsible for overseeing our organization's storage needs and developing solutions that make data storage accessible, manageable, and secure. The Enterprise Storage Engineer will collaborate on the design and management of advanced storage solutions, extending across Software Defined, SAN, and service-model environments. This role demands a blend of current expertise in storage technologies and visionary thinking, essential for evolving the storage infrastructure to meet future organizational demands. The ideal candidate should be adept at using advanced SDS systems, including but not limited to Ceph, Swift, and OpenStack.

Position Description

The Enterprise Storage Engineer will be at the forefront of storage architecture, responsible for integrating various forms of storage solutions into a cohesive, robust system. They will be immersed in the planning, development, execution, and maintenance of scalable storage solutions. The ideal candidate will have in-depth experience with different storage types and their applications in business settings, able to navigate the complexities and leverage each form's strengths. This role is central to the IT organization, requiring a forward-thinking innovator ready to manage and enhance our storage capabilities dynamically.

Position Responsibilities

As an Engineer II, you will:

• Contribute to the design, implement, and administer high-availability storage solutions, spanning SDS and SAN environments, as well as 'Storage as a Service' systems for private cloud environments
• Ensure the seamless integration of storage solutions such as object, block and file storage with bare metal, IaaS, and PaaS services, optimizing performance and scalability
• Conduct comprehensive performance analysis and optimization of SAN environments, focusing on efficiency, reliability, and integration with SDS initiatives
• Collaborate on the strategy and implementation of data protection, disaster recovery, and security protocols across all storage infrastructures
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including network engineers, developers, and cloud architects, to ensure the compatibility and integration of storage solutions with overall system architecture
• Provide technical leadership and support related to SDS, including troubleshooting, and resolving any system issues to ensure high availability and performance
• Keep abreast of the latest trends and technologies in SDS and participating in relevant educational opportunities to support this
• Drive continuous improvement by staying updated with emerging technologies and industry best practices, ensuring the security, stability, and scalability of the system architecture
• Accountable for the quality, usability, and performance of the solutions
• Utilize programming languages like Python, C# or other object-oriented languages, SQL, and NoSQL databases, Container Orchestration services including Docker and Kubernetes, and a variety of Azure tools and services
• Consistently share best practices and improve processes within and across teams

Qualifications

• Understanding of various storage architectures and solutions, including object storage (with technologies like Amazon S3, OpenStack Swift), block storage (using software like iSCSI, Fibre Channel), and file storage (solutions such as NFS, SMB/CIFS)
• Proficiency with data management and storage protocols/services (e.g., Fibre Channel, iSCSI, NFS, SMB/CIFS)
• Familiarity with virtualization technologies (e.g., VMware, Hyper-V) and their interaction with underlying storage infrastructures
• Understanding of and experience with software-defined storage services such as Ceph, MinIO, Swift, OpenStack, and GlusterFS
• Proficiency with cloud services and infrastructure, including public and private cloud environments
• Solid knowledge of traditional storage technologies and how they integrate with software-defined solutions
• Familiarity with Linux operating systems and scripting languages such as Python, Bash, or Perl
• Ability to plan and execute migration strategies from traditional SAN to SDS, ensuring data integrity, minimal downtime, and system performance optimization
• Ability to troubleshoot complex storage issues, including performance bottlenecks, data recovery, and optimization challenges
• Excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills to work effectively with various teams within the organization
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proactive approach to identifying and resolving potential issues before they arise
• Exceptional problem-solving capabilities, with a proven track record of overcoming technical challenges
• Effective communication skills, capable of building strong relationships with team members, stakeholders, and external partners

Required Experience

• 1+ years of experience in a collaborative development environment, utilizing modern software development methodologies
• 1+ years scripting/coding experience in one of the following languages: C/C++ development, Bash, Python or GO
• 1+ years of experience in a storage engineering role, with a focus on software-defined storage solutions in cloud environments

Desired Experience

• 1+ years of professional software development experience
• 1+ years of experience with systems architecture and design
• 1+ years of experience working with AWS, GCP, Azure, or another cloud service
• 1+ years of experience in open-source frameworks

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent education or work experience
• Certifications relating to cloud services (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure), software-defined storage technologies (such as Ceph or OpenStack), or related areas are highly advantageous.
  #LI-RP2

Annual Salary

The above annual salary range is a general guideline. Multiple factors are taken into consideration to arrive at the final hourly rate/ annual salary to be offered to the selected candidate. Factors include, but are not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the role, the selected candidate’s work experience, education and training, the work location as well as market and business considerations.

The GEICO Pledge:

Great Company: At GEICO, we help our customers through life’s twists and turns. Our mission is to protect people when they need it most and we’re constantly evolving to stay ahead of their needs.

We’re an iconic brand that thrives on innovation, exceeding our customers’ expectations and enabling our collective success. From day one, you’ll take on exciting challenges that help you grow and collaborate with dynamic teams who want to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

Great Careers: We offer a career where you can learn, grow, and thrive through personalized development programs, created with your career – and your potential – in mind.  You’ll have access to industry leading training, certification assistance, career mentorship and coaching with supportive leaders at all levels.

Great Culture: We foster an inclusive culture of shared success, rooted in integrity, a bias for action and a winning mindset. Grounded by our core values, we have an an established culture of caring, inclusion, and belonging, that values different perspectives. Our teams are led by dynamic, multi-faceted teams led by supportive leaders, driven by performance excellence and unified under a shared purpose.

As part of our culture, we also offer employee engagement and recognition programs that reward the positive impact our work makes on the lives of our customers.

Great Rewards: We offer compensation and benefits built to enhance your physical well-being, mental and emotional health and financial future.

• Comprehensive Total Rewards program that offers personalized coverage tailor-made for you and your family’s overall well-being.
• Financial benefits including market-competitive compensation; a 401K savings plan vested from day one that offers a 6% match; performance and recognition-based incentives; and tuition assistance.
• Access to additional benefits like mental healthcare as well as fertility and adoption assistance.
• Supports flexibility- We provide workplace flexibility as well as our GEICO Flex program, which offers the ability to work from anywhere in the US for up to four weeks per year.

The equal employment opportunity policy of the GEICO Companies provides for a fair and equal employment opportunity for all associates and job applicants regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, disability or genetic information, in compliance with applicable federal, state and local law. GEICO hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.

GEICO reasonably accommodates qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to receive equal employment opportunity and/or perform the essential functions of the job, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship to the Company. This applies to all applicants and associates. GEICO also provides a work environment in which each associate is able to be productive and work to the best of their ability. We do not condone or tolerate an atmosphere of intimidation or harassment. We expect and require the cooperation of all associates in maintaining an atmosphere free from discrimination and harassment with mutual respect by and for all associates and applicants.